Glory Vase, Kinross and Panthalassa head an impressive array of decorated international horses who have been invited to compete at the HK$110 million LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) at Sha Tin on 11 December.
Fellow Gr1 winners Gendarme, Naran Huleg, Schnell Meister, Saffron Beach and Mendocino have also been issued invitations by the Hong Kong Jockey Club to contest the “Turf World Championships”.
Glory Vase (Pic – HKJC)
A cast of Gr1 champions is among 127 overseas entrants for the four Group 1 features – the HK$34 million Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), HK$30 million Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m), HK$24 million Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) and HK$22 million Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m).
Emerging Japanese stayer Jack d’Or runs in the Gr1 Tenno Sho Autumn (2000m) at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday (30 October) against several other LONGINES HKIR entrants, including Gr1 Dubai Turf (1800m) dead-heater Panthalassa and Geoglyph.
Japan’s Danon The Kid, Britain’s Sir Busker and Ireland’s Stone Age are also among the Club invitees.
Tuesday’s (1 November) Gr1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington Racecourse features another invitee – LONGINES Hong Kong Vase entrant Deauville Legend, who is not only the ruling favourite for “the race that stops a nation” but is raced by Hong Kong owner Boniface Ho, who previously raced Southern Legend and Classique Legend.
Glory Vase, who will chase a third G1 win at Sha Tin, is among an illustrious cluster of horses – including Deauville Legend, Mendocino, Tuesday, Iresine, Broome and Gufo – invited to run in the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase.
Gr1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) winner Gendarme and G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) victor Naran Huleg head Japan’s LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint assault, while G1 Kings Stand Stakes (1006m) winner and the highest-placed sprinter in the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, Nature Strip, heads Australia’s sprint invitees along with The Everest (1200m) champion Giga Kick and Eduardo, while US speedster Golden Pal has also been invited.
British-trained dual Gr1 winner Kinross, who is raced by Hong Kong owner Marc Chan, is entered for both the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint and LONGINES Hong Kong Mile. Kinross this month added the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (1200m) to the G1 Prix de la Foret (1400m) he won at Paris Longchamp on 2 October.
Connections of Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Saffron Beach, a LONGINES Hong Kong Mile contender, and talented Japanese galloper Schnell Meister are also invitees. Japanese stars Salios, Danon Scorpion and Great Britain’s Dreamloper have also been invited for the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile.
Hong Kong’s entry is spearheaded by Golden Sixty, Wellington, California Spangle, Sky Field and Russian Emperor with nine individual group G1 winners spread among 45 entries.
Overall, there are 172 entrants for LONGINES HKIR, crowned by 53 individual Group 1 winners.
The Gr1 Tenno Sho Autumn on Sunday (30 October) and Melbourne Cup Day (Tuesday 1 November) will be simulcast for betting by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
LONGINES HKIR invitations (As of 28 October, 2022):
LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint: Gendarme, Naran Huleg, Nature Strip, Eduardo, Giga Kick, Golden Pal.
LONGINES Hong Kong Mile: Kinross, Schnell Meister, Saffron Beach, Danon Scorpion, Dreamloper, Salios.
LONGINES Hong Kong Cup: Panthalassa, Sir Busker, Stone Age, Jack d’Or, Danon The Kid, Geoglyph.
LONGINES Hong Kong Vase: Glory Vase, Mendocino, Broome, Deauville Legend, Gufo, Tuesday, Iresine
